Chapter 30

The Monster Mountains Expedition.

Johnson Territory periodically sent out expeditions into the Monster Mountains.

They sold the byproducts of monsters caught there to buy food or other necessary daily supplies.

On the other hand, the Lion Tribe’s goal in expeditions was to hunt edible beasts.

“Catching beasts is said to be much more efficient than catching monsters.”

Whether it was because of transport costs or middleman margins, they said that catching edible beasts was more profitable than catching most monsters.

Hunting edible beasts meant, in the end, hunting them to eat.

The Lion Tribe was a group so short on meat that they came all the way to the Monster Mountains to hunt.

“Come to think of it, wasn’t it thanks to the Lion Tribe that we even came to know about the Horned Rabbit? Father lost his mind after eating the Horned Rabbit they shared with us during the expedition.”

-That’s how it was.

“Anyway, the reason Lion Tribe friends are working as mercenaries here must ultimately be food. Especially meat.”

-True, among beastmen, the Lion Tribe is known for being big eaters. Naturally, their staple food is meat.

Black Rabbit, nodding at my deduction, added an explanation.

-And if it’s Black Lion, then isn’t that the Black Lion? If all the members of this mercenary group are Black Lions, then they must be extremely hungry for food.

“Why’s that?”

-The stronger the Black Lions, the more meat they need.

“Really? So they’re like a top-class sports car with amazing performance but terrible fuel efficiency.”

-A very fitting comparison. I heard that even within the Lion Tribe, there was some talk about it.

“Because they eat too much?”

-The Lion Tribe almost never had good food supplies.

“I see. So that’s why they put more effort into beast hunting. The Lions I met were all Black Lions, so I guess they were the ones in charge of beast hunting.”

So, despite their food shortages, because they ate so much, they drew criticism?

I heard they played quite a big role during independence, but to think the problem was simply that they ate too much—it felt strange.

In the first place, the reason they were subjected to such biological experiments was because the Lion Tribe had become slaves, wasn’t it?

So, kind of like a fantasy version of war returnees treated unfairly?

Thinking back on how all the Lions we met in the Monster Mountains were Black Lions, maybe they were actually receiving harsher treatment than expected.

“This Black Lion thing may be a mutation, but in the end it’s genetic, isn’t it? Considering there have been Black Lions consistently until now.”

-It should be.

Besides, it wasn’t as though they chose to be born as Black Lions.

The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Anyway, under such circumstances, they wouldn’t reject my proposal. I’ll hand them plenty of Horned Rabbit meat.”

-Indeed, too much meat to refuse.

As they say, once you know the taste, it’s dangerous. The Lion Tribe really liked Horned Rabbit meat.

Even when they treated us during the expedition, they had looked regretful and reluctant as they served it, smacking their lips.

Come to think of it, the Lion Tribe seemed to have thought quite well of us back then.

Since they even shared such precious Horned Rabbit meat with us.

“A smooth relationship, too much payment to reject. And the request itself isn’t something beastmen would particularly dislike.”

-The only problem might be their relationship with the Level Merchant Group.

“I’ll need to be mindful of that part too. For us, it ends once we go back, but for them, they might have to continue mercenary work.”

But well, isn’t it innocent as long as you don’t get caught?

If they hid their identities properly, who would know who started it?

And I had already prepared ‘that,’ so it was good enough.

I sent Dr. Nickel to quietly arrange a meeting and waited for the Black Lion Mercenary Group in the abandoned house that served as the Rabbit Tribe’s hideout.

“…So you’ve come.”

How much time had passed? As night deepened, faint presences were felt outside.

There were two of them.

Since I asked for a quiet meeting, it seemed only two had come to visit.

‘But one of those presences is so small. Almost like a child.’

My curiosity was soon resolved.

The door quietly opened, and two figures entered.

One was someone fairly familiar to me, and the other was a completely unexpected presence.

‘So it’s Leisha. She really exists.’

A lion beastman I knew well enough.

She was the girl of the Lion Tribe, Leisha, whom the Diary had shown me in its vision.

Of course, she wasn’t a girl anymore.

She had grown into a full-fledged adult.

-Indeed, a fine lioness. Do you know her well?

‘I know her well, yes. But she’s not quite as I remember.’

Back then, she had been a bratty little tomboy, but now she had become a graceful lady.

Leisha was an impressive beauty, standing a little over 170 cm with a strong, well-toned body.

Her smooth abs, visible beneath the leather armor in a chrome-top style, were like a work of art.

And her face had also transformed completely—her sharp, slightly upturned eyes gave her the look of a classic feline beauty.

She was a beauty different in style from Yuria.

Though it had been more than ten years since I last saw her, I never imagined she would change so dramatically.

‘But she’s not normal either.’

How absurd was she? Well, she was the one who had taught me the beastman greeting I had once confidently thrown at the Rabbit Tribe.

She had told me it was a welcoming greeting, but in reality, it was intimidation, a threat.

‘Hands up and tail down,’ wasn’t it?

The Rabbit Tribe had explained that lowering the tail was a pretty serious threat among beastmen.

In modern terms, it was something like “Wanna fight?”

And yet she had confidently told me it was a welcome greeting—clearly not in her right mind.

“Bear cub? Isn’t that the weak bear cub! I wondered when I heard Johnson Territory, and it really is you.”

“…Yeah, it’s been a while.”

“Bear cub, are you the one who called us here as the client?”

“Something like that.”

Listening to her talk, she was the same as before.

She always called me Bear cub back then too.

But does she still remember me? The last time we met, both of us were still very young.

It was refreshing in its own way.

-Bear cub, huh. A fitting nickname for my master.

I roughly agreed.

That nickname suited me.

Though the modifier ‘weak’ attached to it was a bit much.

‘But still, she was stronger than me back then. And maybe even now.’

When I had met her as a child, Leisha had been the stronger warrior.

The difference had been small, but it was true she was stronger.

At the time, Iron had just barely turned ten, and I was sure I wouldn’t lose if we fought again.

But from what I could see, Leisha still seemed superior.

‘I can’t feel her strength at all.’

-Indeed, perhaps she’s a Great Warrior.

‘Among beastmen, a Great Warrior is about the same level as a human Master, right?’

-Similar.

That was surprising.

I knew she was about my age, but to think she was really a Master?

Iron himself had unmatched talent in battle, but perhaps the real genius was someone else entirely.

If Iron had been his usual prideful self, this situation would have weighed heavily on him.

‘But for me, it was actually better. The odds of success in this matter had just skyrocketed.’

If Leisha really was a Great Warrior, then no matter what the cost, it wouldn’t be a loss.

“Let’s end the greetings here. Small talk can wait. Business first. Things are moving urgently right now.”

“Hm, is that so. For the deal, speak with him. With Leon.”

“…Leon?”

“Hello. You must be Lord Iron, right? I’m Leon, vice-commander of the Black Lion Mercenary Group.”

“Ah, right. Leon.”

If old stories came up, the conversation would drag on endlessly, so I suggested getting to the deal first.

And then, this woman pushed the transaction onto the other person she had brought with her.

Leon, the one introduced as the vice-commander of Black Lion.

Surprisingly, this vice-commander looked like nothing more than a very cute child.

A lion beastman boy who seemed about seven or eight years old.

‘…This is the vice-commander?’

Perhaps reading my expression, Leisha added an explanation.

“He’s the smartest in our tribe. If Leon refuses, there will be no deal.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Remarkable.

It was startling enough that a child was representing them in a negotiation, but to think this boy was the brains of Black Lion.

Was Black Lion really okay like this?

Yet, the more I spoke with him, the more I couldn’t deny it.

This little brat wasn’t just any brat.

“Black Lion is a top-class mercenary group. It has one Great Warrior—that is, the equivalent of a human Master—and no fewer than nine warriors at least as strong as high-ranking knights.”

“That’s impressive.”

“And, in this commission, you’ll also need to take into account the possibility of future friction with the Level Merchant Group.”

“That much I expected. So how much do I have to pay for this request?”

“That’s something Lord Iron should propose first.”

Not only did he properly highlight their value and the possible future losses involved in this request, but he also demanded the first offer to maximize their gains.

If nothing else, one thing was certain—Leisha hadn’t brought this kid along by mistake.

Still though.

“Alright, first try this.”

“…Jerky?”

“No, this smell… isn’t this Horned Rabbit?”

“Correct, Horned Rabbit.”

When I tossed Leisha some Horned Rabbit jerky, her eyes changed instantly.

The cheeky kid’s did too.

They both tore into the jerky with almost combative vigor, unable to hide the smiles tugging at their mouths.

They really liked it.

This would make negotiations much easier.

“Ten kilograms of Horned Rabbit meat.”

“Horned Rabbit meat is certainly a fine bargaining chip, but…”

“You said there were ten Black Lions, right? Ten kilograms each.”

“Ten… but… that’s not enough!”

A single Horned Rabbit yielded maybe two to three kilograms of meat.

So, ten kilograms was only four or five rabbits.

To hire mercenaries of the Black Lion—each at least a high-ranking knight—that was absurdly insufficient.

The funny part was their reactions, their pupils trembling at such a meager offer.

Just how much did these guys love Horned Rabbit?

“And that’s the daily wage. I plan to hire the Black Lions for ten days.”

“A daily wage, for ten days? Then that’s one hundred kilograms each. A total of one thousand kilograms?”

“Grrr!”

As the brat ground his teeth and shouted that it wasn’t enough, I landed the finishing blow.

Here, take a ton of meat.

Four hundred Horned Rabbits’ worth of meat—an impossible amount to hunt.

Meaning, no matter if Leisha was a Great Warrior, no matter if the Black Lions were masters of beast hunting, they had never seen so much Horned Rabbit meat in their lives.

-So this is what it means to beat someone down with meat.

The deal was sealed.

The two lion beastmen, battered into submission by meat, managed to conclude the contract while barely steadying their spinning eyes.

Both had drool pooling at the corners of their mouths.

I sent Leisha back immediately.

I asked her to move quickly since the situation was urgent.

Having explained most of our circumstances, both of them got busy right away.

Tonight. Before dawn, our goal was to complete the escape.

‘Indeed, Leon wasn’t ordinary.’

Infiltration, hostage rescue, and escape.

Those were the kinds of operations I was most familiar with.

They were practically my specialty.

But in this world, my experience wasn’t all that useful.

No communications equipment, unfamiliar teammates with no coordination, and only cold steel weapons at hand.

So I worked out the plan together with Leon—and this brat was indeed the real deal.

Even if he was a pitiful lion beastman whose eyes rolled back at the sight of meat, his cleverness couldn’t be denied.

“Hit three places simultaneously. Rescuing all at once is the best option.”

“That was my thought too.”

“Once we rescue the hostages, we immediately load them into the wagon and pull them out. Since you’ve secured the wagon, Lord Iron, you can lead the hostages.”

“I’ll have another knight handle the escort. I plan to cover the Rabbit Tribe’s escape and bring up the rear.”

“Then you’ll be with us. But what about the Rabbits in the livestock ranch? Has that been arranged? If we don’t act at the exact same time, it’ll fall apart.”

“That’s right. Once one side makes a move, the other side’s defenses will tighten. Leave that to me. It will happen, without fail.”

“If you’re that confident, then I’ll believe you.”

“Good. Leon, you ride the wagon with the children. Keep them calm and reassured.”

“Yes, I will.”

Leon, who stayed behind to review the plan with me, would escape on the wagon with the Rabbit children.

The wagon would be pulled by two Three-Horned Mountain Goats, one of them Ultra.

Since the goats were familiar with the Rabbits, pulling a wagon full of their children wouldn’t be too difficult.

Ultra was clever enough to grasp the situation.

-But isn’t this only possible if the Rabbits can manage their own escape?

‘The Rabbits can handle it. I’ve given them a very useful weapon.’

I caressed the last mana crystal in my possession and felt certain.

The Rabbit Tribe would succeed in escaping.

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